Thirty years on, it is fitting that the story of the Camberwell Community Centre be told.
The Centre’s existence is a testament to the energy, persistence, imagination, and social vision of all involved.
Spawned in the 1970s, during a period of social change, and “grass roots” activism, the Camberwell Community Centre was a successful attempt to recreate a sense of community based on nurturing feelings of interdependence and self reliance.
The founders, mainly women volunteers, saw the need for a place where local people of all ages could meet informally to share skills and knowledge and find companionship. They understood the diversity of needs within the community. They recognised that providing this venue was a way to strengthen social solidarity.
Initially organised and managed entirely by volunteers the Centre has, over time, employed increasing numbers of paid staff.
Over the years this Centre has touched the lives of tens of thousands of Camberwell residents and in so doing has given real meaning to the word “community”
Directory of community centres and neighbourhood houses in our City
